Escaping Death
by Dark.koneko-chan
Summary: An old enemy has returned from death and wants to complete what he failed to do in life and he needs Lloyd for that...
1. Chapter 1

Escaping Death

It was a beautiful morning in Symphonia. The sky was a dazzling orangey-pink, and everyone was asleep- well, almost everyone…

"Hiyah! Take that- don't bother begging for mercy, I'm already going easy on you! DIE!"

"Lloyd." Kratos walked into the small clearing. Trees surrounded the two and a small river ran through the forest.

"Lloyd, what are you doing?" Kratos continued as he approached Lloyd, who was standing facing a tree. His arms were outstretched, and he looked as if he were about to hug the tree.

"DAD! I…uh…I was…training!"

"With a tree?" Kratos asked, cocking his head to one side.

Lloyd let go of his swords, which were stuck deep inside the tree, which explains why he had his arms stretched out. He turned around to face Kratos. He blushed.

"Well, yeah…I mean, I didn't have anyone else to train with…" He trailed off, as Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"So, In other words, you just didn't want to train with me?" He questioned.

"No! I never said that! It's just…" He sighed, and averted his gaze to his feet, which he now found very interesting, "I just wanted to become stronger, without your help, so that you'd be proud of me…" Once again, he trailed off, glancing up into Kratos' eyes as he did so, and was greeted with a look of warmth and, something else…but he couldn't figure out what. Then, In one swift movement on Kratos' part, Lloyd found himself being embraced by his father.

"There's no need Lloyd," Kratos said lovingly, "I'm already proud of you- I couldn't be any prouder. After all you've done for me, for this world; there is nothing more that you could do to make me prouder." He finished, letting go of Lloyd.

"Really?" Lloyd questioned, beaming, eyes full of hope and glee, like a child's.

"Really." Kratos replied, smiling. It made him so happy to see his son like this. He was now 19, as they had been travelling together for a year, training and destroying exspheres. To see Lloyd like this always brought a smile to his face. It always made him think of their days together as a family, with Anna…

'_Goddess, how I miss her. If only there was some way for us to be together again…' _He thought.

"..AD?" Lloyd said as he placed a hand on Kratos' shoulder. This brought him back to reality. He realized that Lloyd must have called him several times now, with no response, or he wouldn't look so worried.

"Dad, are you okay?" Lloyd said again. How many times had he called him now? At least 5, but all he had done was stare off into space, a glazed look had come over his eyes.

'_He only spaces out like this when he's thinking about mom,' _Lloyd thought.

"I'm fine. I am sorry to have worried you Lloyd." Kratos said in answer tp Lloyd's question.

"Good. You scared me." Lloyd said, as he walked over to the river. He cupped his hands, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it on his face. "You were thinking about mom again, weren't you?" He said, as he watched a ripple spread across the river.

"…I…yes." Kratos said. He could feel his throat going dry. It always did when he thought of her…

"Don't worry." Lloyd slowly got up and turned around, "I miss her too. You're not alone. And I know that she misses us. There's no way around it. We all miss each other when we're apart, but that's what keeps us together, really. Look at it like this; If we're all thinking of each other, then we'll always be together, at least in our heart…" He stopped as he felt a lump rise in his throat, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. He turned back around and crouched down, splashing his face once again, to make sure that if he started to cry, the tears would blend in with the water, so that his father wouldn't notice.

He didn't want him thinking that he wasn't strong. He did not want to be referred to as weak.

"…" Silence. Kratos didn't know what to say. He had no idea that Lloyd was so…compassionate. He knew that he was an idealist, hell, everyone did, but he had never seen this side of Lloyd before. He was crying- trying to disguise it, but it did not go unnoticed by Kratos, but he didn't say anything about it.

They could now both feel the tension beginning to rise between them, as they remained within the uncomfortable silence.

"C'mon" Lloyd stood up and pulled his swords out of the tree, then started to head out of the clearing. He looked up at the sky to find that it had lost it's orangey- pink colour, and turned blue. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky. He glanced back at his father, who was still standing there, apparently mesmerized by Lloyd's earlier speech, staring at the place where Lloyd had previously been.

"We need to get back to camp. You coming?" He asked. He received a nod from Kratos and started to walk off.

'_I knew he took after her, but never that much. They both think alike; I can remember what Anna said on Lloyd's first birthday, when we ran from the Desians; As long as we're thinking of each other, even when we're split apart, we'll always be together at heart.' _With the words off his wife, and his son, on his mind, he set off towards their camp, keeping his family close at heart.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Escaping Death

When Kratos arrived back at camp, he found Lloyd sitting by the remains of the fire from the previous night.

"Where's Noishe? I haven't seen him this morning." He had heard Kratos coming because of his enhanced hearing, thanks to his mother's memento, his exsphere, which had now evolved into a cruxis crystal, thus enhancing his senses.

"I'm not sure…hold on. NOISHE!" He shouted, and then whistled. Sure enough, the lively protozoan came running, carrying something in his mouth.

"What's that boy, breakfast?" Lloyd said, thinking of only his stomach as usual.

The protozoan came over to Lloyd and dropped the object.

"Whine!"

"Yes, thank you Noishe. Oh, look! It's a letter from Sheena!" Immediately his spirits rose.

"Well, what does it say?" Kratos asked, brow furrowed, leaning against a tree.

"Wait a minute, I'm opening it. Okay, it says;

_Hey you guys,_

_I really hope you're not too busy, coz I need to call an emergency meeting URGENTLY!_

_I don't wanna say anymore in this letter, incase it's interpreted, but meet me in Mizuho A.S.A.P! The others will be here tomorrow- they're taking rheiards, but I doubt you're anywhere near the renegade base near Triet, so you probably won't have access to any._

_Anyway, see ya soon,_

_Sheena xxx _

"Urgent…emergency meeting? I wonder what all this is about…hmm…" Mused Lloyd.

"Hmm…I'm not sure," He said, as Lloyd handed him the letter and he reread it, "but she said that the others will also be there. We should look into the matter. It could be important."

"Yeah, okay. It should take us less than a day to travel to Mizuho, shouldn't it?"

"Yes. Georrachia forest is not far. We should be there within half a day easily."

"Right. So, should we get going now?" Asked Lloyd..

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Without breakfast?"

Lloyd looked confused, then surprised, "Oh, yeah…okay! What's for breakfast?"

"Heh…I'm afraid all we have are kirimas. We will have to restock in Mizuho."

"Oh, well. Something's better than nothing, I guess." Lloyd mumbled.

* * *

They had finished their breakfast of kirimas rather fast, and now they were in Georrachia forest. Lloyd was engaged in battle with a giant insect-thing, while Kratos stood to the side watching, seeing how much Lloyd had improved over the past year that they had been travelling together.

"DAD! Look out!" Lloyd shouted, while continuing to fight the monster.

"Huh?" Kratos turned around in time to see a yellow, flowery monster lurking in the shadows. "Heh… too easy." With that said, he slashed and stabbed at the monster. It was dead in a matter of minutes. He turned back to watch Lloyd, who had just dealt the final blow to the insect. He watched as Lloyd threw his swords up in the air, only to catch them again.

"You picked the wrong guy to mess with." He said, as he sheathed his swords.

"Well done. Your battle stance has improved, as has your technique. You do not just recklessly slash everything, you think before you act-if only a little. Plus, you are not vulnerable and wide open anymore. You have improved greatly. Well done."

"That's good!" Lloyd said beaming, "But I'm not as good as you yet" He said, face falling.

"Do not compare yourself to me. Remember, I have had thousands of years more experience than you. And in time, you will become equally as strong- If not stronger. By my recollection, you have already beaten me once, in Torrent forest, and that was over a year ago." Kratos finished.

"Yeah, well," Lloyd said, blushing, rubbing the back of his head, "That was just luck. It'll probably never happen again."

"Humph… believe what you will. Come on. Let us not waste time. We're nearly there now. I can see Mizuho in the distance."

"Really?" Lloyd looked around, "Oh, yeah! Let's go! C'mon!" He ran over towards the exit to Georrachia forest, the only part of the forest where there was sunlight.

"ahh…" Said Lloyd stretching, "It's good to be out in the open again. I really needed the suns warmth- It was getting cold in there." They had just stepped out of the dark, damp forest, and were now only an hour or so's walk away from Mizuho.

"Ow!" Lloyd fell to the ground.

"Lloyd!" Kratos knelt beside him, "What's wrong?" he said, beginning to get worried.

"My…back…owww…" he complained. Kratos lifted up Lloyd's top to examine his back for any injuries. What he saw wasn't an injury. He gasped.

"What is it…what's wrong?" asked Lloyd, oblivious to the cause of his sudden pain.

"You remember, I told you, because your exsphere has now evolved into a cruxis crystal, you would start to gain angelic traits?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well your wings have begun to grow." That was true and they were getting bigger by the minute. They were a dark blue in colour, like the last time that they were revealed. "What!" Lloyd said, getting to his feet, "But the last time they came out was-ahh!" He screamed, then collapsed on the floor, unconscious. His wings had just gone back into his back, then suddenly burst out.

"Lloyd!" Kratos shouted, as he watched Lloyd's wing re-enter his back. "I had better carry him to Mizuho." He picked up Lloyd, unfurled his own wings, then flew off in the general direction of Mizuho.


	3. Chapter 3

Escaping Death

When Kratos reached the entrance to Mizuho, he put his wings away and carried Lloyd into the small ninja village. When he walked up to the chief's house (e.g. Sheena) house, he was greeted by Orochi.

"Kratos! Hi! Oh!" He gasped, "Is he alright?" he asked, referring to Lloyd.

"He should be. Don't worry about him. Anyway, we received a letter from Sheena requesting our presence."

"Ah, yes. She told me that some old friends would be coming, but she wasn't expecting you until tomorrow, at the earliest, but please, go right on in." He said, opening the door.

"Thank you." Kratos stepped through the door and into the small Mizuho style house.

"(Sigh) What is it this time, Oro- Kratos! Hey! Didn't expect to see you today! Oh!" Sheena looked at Lloyd, "What happened to him? Is he okay?" A worried look appeared on her face, as she led them through a doorway and into a room with cushions on the floor. Kratos laid Lloyd down and sat facing Sheena.

"He will be fine. Please, do not concern yourself." He replied, eyes closed.

"But what happened?"

"His wings."

"?" Sheena gave him a confused look.

"(Sigh) You remember last year, when Lloyd gained wings, at the end of our journey?"

Sheena nodded.

"Well, they appeared again. They just erupted from his back, they were only small, but they kept growing until they were huge. Then, they stopped growing, and he collapsed."

"Did you go through the same thing, dad?" Lloyd's eyes slowly opened, and he looked around. "Hi Sheena! Good to see you again." He said.

"You too," She said, smiling.

"As a matter of fact, Lloyd," Lloyd turned his attention back to his father, "I did."

"Was it this painful?" He asked, sitting up.

"It was excruciatingly painful."

"Whoa, I don't even know what that means, so I'm guessing it was a whole lot more painful."

"Heh…too true."

"So," said Lloyd, turning back to Sheena, "What was it that you wanted to tell us?"

"I'd prefer to wait until the others get here, to tell you, if you don't mind."

"But I DO mind! Please, can't you just tell me now?" Lloyd whined.

"No. Besides, It's you don't wanna hear anyway. Trust me."

"Then why are you telling us?"

"Because It's true!"

"Lloyd! Just give it a rest. She said she'd tell us tomorrow, when the others arrive. Be patient."

"(Sigh) Fine, well, anyway, I'm tired. That angel transformation thing took all my energy."

"Rest then," Kratos said, standing up, "I will go and buy more supplies." He walked out of the room.

"What's up with dad? He's acting rather strange," Lloyd said.

"He's worried about you, that's all. You scared him."

"hmm…I guess I must have. I should apologise later."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kratos had bought everything they needed, and was walking around outside the village.

"Whine!" Noishe padded alongside Kratos, staring up at his friend, trying to comfort him.

"I know, Noishe. I am overreacting. He's strong. He can live through this."

"Whine"

"You're right. Worrying isn't going to help anyone. C'mon. Let's get back. They're probably wondering where we are. Besides, It's nearly dark.

Kratos walked into the room to find Sheena sitting at a table, writing, and Lloyd, fast asleep on the floor.

Sheena glanced up, and seeing who it was, got back to her work.

"You were gone a while. What took you?" She asked.

"I went to look for Noishe."

As if on queue, the protozoan bounded into the room. He ran straight over to Lloyd and started licking his face.

"(Gasp) What the hell?! Noishe! Get off me!" Lloyd pushed the protozoan away.

"Feeling better?" Kratos asked, smirking.

"I am, thanks, but I'd feel even better if this lump would get off my legs!"

"Whine!" Noishe had laid down on Lloyd's legs, so he couldn't move.

"Ahh, don't call him a lump. He's a good doggy thing, aren't you boy?"

Noishe got up and went to sit by Sheena.

"He's a protozoan, and thanks for getting him off me."

"That's okay, and doggy thing is more appropriate.

Lloyd laughed, "Whatever you say, Sheena."

* * *

The next morning, Lloyd walked outside and found Kratos, standing against a tree, eyes closed.

'_This could be to my advantage!'_ Lloyd thought. He crept up to his side and pushed him over.

"Hah!" Shouted Lloyd!

Kratos' eyes snapped open. "Lloyd! What was that for?" He said, giving Lloyd a deathly glare.

"Just wanted to surprise you! Dad, I'm sorry about yesterday."

Kratos frowned, "There is no need to apologise, Lloyd. You are not at fault."

"Still-"  
"Just forget it even happened."

"But-"

"Lloyd."

"So, what were we talking about just now? For some strange reason, I seem to have forgotten."

Kratos smiled, "That's better."

They walked back to Sheena's house to see six objects fast approaching in the sky. It soon became clear that they were rheiards.

"Look!" Shouted Lloyd, "It's the others!"


	4. Chapter 4

Escaping Death

The six rheiards landed outside Mizuho. Lloyd ran to them, Kratos walking behind. He was excited to see friends again, after a year of just being with his dad. Not that he didn't like it, he had just missed his former companions.

"Guys! You're here!" Lloyd shouted.

"Hey, bud! Good to see you! And bud's dad! Mind if I call you gramps, gramps?" exclaimed the former chosen of Tethealla. He patted Lloyd on the back.

"Yes, actually." Said Kratos, through gritted teeth.

He walked over to Kratos…and attempted to put him in a headlock! What an idiot.

"Well, tough. You're stuck with it."

The next moment, the former chosen found himself lying on the ground, face in the mud.

He stood up. "Not the face!" He cried. Kratos smirked. After that, they both just glared at each other.

"Regal! Presea!" Lloyd walked over to them, "How've you been?"

"Exceptionally well, thank you." Replied Regal, "What about yourself?"

"I've been fine, thanks. Dad's been training me, and it's been real fun!"

"Good. I am glad you are well." Said Presea.

"Same here."

"He walked over to Colette, Genis and Raine, who were watching the entertaining 'glaring' contest between Kratos and Zelos.

"Colette! Genis! Professor! I've missed you!"

"Lloyd!" Colette hugged him, "We've missed you, too."

"Yeah, Lloyd. It's been no fun without you!" Said Genis.

"Thanks Genis! That's one of the only nice things you've said to me!"

"Yeah, It's been no fun because I've had no-one else to make fun of because no on else is as stupid as you!" Genis burst out laughing.

"Hey! That's not nice! Anyway, professor, did you miss me?"

"Of course Lloyd," Raine smiled.

"Guys!" Sheena came into view, "Let's go inside. C'mon."

When everyone was inside and comfortable, (although I'm not sure how they could be, sitting on those tiny cushions for ages) Sheena spoke up.

"Guys, I called you here for an emergency meeting-"

"What's the emergency? Oh! Are you finally ready to announce your undying love for me to the wor- Ow!" Before he could finish, Zelos had been slapped over the head by Sheena. He didn't want to risk anymore injuries to himself, so he picked up the cushion and placed it next to Colette, away from Sheena.

"As I was saying, I called you here to tell you something that may not be logical, but it's true." She said, glancing around, as if to ask permission to continue. When no-one said anything, she did. "Y'know that we killed Kvar, at the Asgard Ranch?"

"Yeah," "Yes," Lloyd and Kratos said in unison.

"Well, I was passing the Asgard Ranch, with some others, and we saw a bunch of desians. We think that Kvar might be back."

There was silence. Everyone stared at Sheena in disbelief.

"But how?" They turned to look at Colette, "That's impossible! Lloyd and Kratos killed him- we saw!"

"I dunno, but I told you it wasn't logical."

There was silence once again, while everyone thought if there was a way for the dead to become living. When no-one suggested any reasons, Lloyd spoke.

"Great, just great," he had drawn attention to himself, "of all the people that could have come back from the dead, why did it have to be that bastard!" He walked over to the wall and kicked it, in a temper.

"Lloyd, calm down. No-one said for sure that Kvar was back." Kratos said. "If he is, then we just do what we did last time."

"Kill him?" Said Lloyd and Sheena.

"Kill him."

"Then let's rest up here today and set off tomorrow morning." Raine concluded, being the voice of reason.

They all nodded and one by one, they went off to do their own things, and catch up with each other. But really, they were all wondering the same thing- _'Can people really come back from the dead?' _If that was true, then that could mean big trouble for them. They all hoped that Sheena was wrong, but even if she was right, they could easily handle him. But that meant that it could be possible for the other desian grand cardinals to come back, and that was something they did not want to face.

The next morning the group set off. Since there were only six rheiards, and there were nine of them, they had to share. Kratos went with Lloyd, Genis with Raine, Colette with Sheena, Regal with Presea, and Zelos had his own. They flew past the remains off the Tower of Salvation, over Hakonesia Peak, until they reached Asgard, the town, not the ranch.

"Why are they stopping?" asked Colette.

"They've run out of fuel!" Shouted Sheena, as the rheiards spiraled down and crashed. Luckily enough for them, no-one was hurt.

They got up and dusted themselves off, then continued on their way to the ranch.

Eventually, night came, so they set up camp, as they were still at least half a day's walk away from the ranch. Everyone was sleeping soundly except for Kratos and Lloyd.

"Dad?" Lloyd walked over to where Kratos was sitting. Noishe had one gone off hunting, so he wasn't with him.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you sleep? You haven't slept in days."

"I do not need sleep. You know that."

"But it's nice to sleep every once in a while."

This conversation carried on for a while until Kratos finally gave in and went to sleep, leaving Lloyd to keep watch.

After a while, Kratos also fell asleep, and Lloyd was getting drowsy. He had started to drift off when something sharp poked him in the side. He looked down to see what it was.

"Oh yeah, my swords!" He took Flamberge and the Vorpal sword and laid them down by the tree he was sitting by. Then he closed his eyes to sleep.

"Huh!" He opened his eyes and looked around. He thought he had heard something moving in the nearby forest. "There it is again!" He whispered to himself. This time, he heard voices as well, so he took it upon himself to investigate. He stood up and crept silently into the forest. He peered around. There was no-one there-at least, no-one he could see. It was quiet now, but earlier he had thought that he heard voices. Actually, it was a bit to quiet for his liking. He sighed. "I guess I must have been imagining things," He said, as he turned back around. He froze when he saw who was there.


	5. Chapter 5

Escaping Death

There were at least a dozen Desians, ready to attack.

"You're coming with us." The captain said.

"Think again," He reached for his swords, "Huh? Oh no! I left them back at camp!" The Desians took pleasure in seeing Lloyd in a panic like this.

The captain nodded to two mages. They started doing that weird little dance they do when they build up their mana for spells. But Lloyd had nowhere to escape to. While he was worrying about his swords, they had taken the opportunity and surrounded him.

Suddenly, the mages fired two balls of electricity which hit him directly in the chest, rendering him unconscious.

"Excellent," the Captain said, as he gestured for the mages to carry the unconscious boy. "Lord Kvar will certainly be pleased." With that, they warped back to the Asgard ranch.

* * *

It was now early morning and everyone was starting to wake up. Colette was the first to notice that something was amiss. She gazed around, looking for Lloyd. She always asked Lloyd everything before turning to someone else for their opinion on the matter.

She looked, and saw Genis tiredly rubbing his eyes, and Raine telling Zelos to get up, apparently because everyone had to get up NOW if they wanted to get to the Ranch by noon. Sheena, Regal and Presea were all watching this amusing scene, and Kratos was getting his sword, which lay under a cushion that he'd brought from Sheena's place, for some strange reason. And Lloyd, well… Lloyd was nowhere to be seen. Wait! That wasn't right- he should be here! Colette was worried now.

"Lloyd!" she called out, but there was no reply. From Lloyd, anyway.

"Colette! What's wrong?" Genis walked over to her.

"Yeah, what's wrong my little angel?" Zelos had finally stopped being told off and shouted at by Raine, as she was now looking at Colette, along with everyone else.

"Lloyd's not here- he's gone!"

"What? Oh, he's probably just wandered off, looking for food, knowing him." Genis sighed.

"No, I doubt it," A worried look had come upon Sheena's face now, too, "We've got plenty left."

There was silence now, while everyone thought. That's when Kratos noticed something glistening, behind a tree, as the sun's rays hit the object.

He walked over to it. Now, he was close enough to see that it was not one object, but two. And those mere objects were actually swords. To be precise, Flamberge and the Vorpal sword. His son's swords.

"Look!" Everyone was curious as to what he had found, so they wandered over. Kratos picked them up and turned to face the group, "Lloyd's swords!"

"He never goes anywhere without them…does he?" asked Presea.

"No. I think that something may have happened to him. I do not think that he would have merely 'wandered off' without his swords. He knows better than that." Regal said.

"…(gasp) how far away are we from the Asgard Ranch?" Asked Sheena, her voice filled with fear.

"About half a day's walk. Why? You don't think-" Raine's eyes went wide with fear.

"Desians. If Kvar truly has returned, then he will want revenge. And most likely Lloyd's exsphere-uh, Cruxis Crystal." Kratos finished.

There was a horrible silence. Everyone pondered what might have happened to Lloyd.

"Let's go." Raine broke the silence. "If they have taken him, then we're wasting valuable time. Who knows what they could be dong to him."

"Great, that makes me feel a hell of a lot better," Kratos muttered.

"Kratos, we know you're worried- we all are, but try not to be so rude, please."

" (sigh) I'm sorry. It's just, he's the only one I have left."

"Anyway, what if he hasn't been captured?" asked Zelos.

"He'll know where we've gone."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Asgard Ranch-

Lloyd opened his eyes. His head was spinning and his vision blurred, but after a while, the pain subsided. He thought about where he was and what had happened.

'_That's right! The Desians captured me! And without my swords, I'm helpless Great, am I in trouble now.'_

He tried to move, but found it impossible. He had been secured to the wall somehow.

He studied his surroundings, knowing there was nothing else he could do. He knew where he was. This was the control room of the Asgard Ranch.

'_Just as I thought. This means that Kvar must be back! But how is that possible?'_

He turned his head sharply. The warp pad had been activated.

"Ahh…Lloyd." He felt a strange sensation in his stomach when he heard the voice. It was his. Kvar's. "I see you're finally awake." Lloyd looked around at Kvar and the two Desian guards, no doubt there to protect their Lord, or just to make him suffer.

"How the hell are you alive?! We killed you!"

"Oh, there's no need for you to know that, now, is there?" Kvar grinned evilly, "After all, we wouldn't want you coming back after I kill you, would we now?"

There was no reply. Lloyd just glared, but Kvar noticed a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Now, your exsphere-"

"You're not getting it!"

"Oh, I think you'll find I am. Let's have a look at it, shall we?"

Lloyd struggled to get down, so he could run- protect all that was left of his mother. But he couldn't.

Kvar walked up to him and grabbed his hand.

"I see it is no longer an exsphere. Good. I was going to make you part of my project, to get it to evolve, but it seems like you've already done that for me. How long has it been a Cruxis crystal?"

"Not saying."

"Really?" Kvar took his sword and pressed the point up against Lloyd's neck. A small amount of blood started to trickle down his neck.

" (gasp)…Over a year." He gave in.

"Good…so long enough for the angel transformation to have taken place. Which means if I do this..." He pulled the Cruxis crystal out of his hand.

"Ahh!" Lloyd screamed, as his wings burst out from his back.

Kvar smirked. "That should happen. Don't worry Lloyd. I won't kill you. Yet. I will kill you in front of your wretched father when he comes to 'rescue' you. But in the mean time, I'll just cause you pain. Oh, and I'll take good care of this." He showed Lloyd the Cruxis Crystal. "Bye!" He then warped out of the room. The two Desian guards walked over to Lloyd and examined his wings.

"Don't worry," one said. "This won't hurt-"

"Much."

* * *

They were nearly at the ranch. They could just see it now. It wouldn't take them long to get there.

"So," Zelos said, "Why d'you think Kvar wanted Lloyd?"

"Because of his Cruxis Crystal." Replied Kratos.

"?"

"(Sigh) Lloyd's mother, Anna, had that Cruxis Crystal whilst she was alive. She was a prisoner at Kvar's ranch, and she was also part of the Angelus project. Kvar wanted to give that exsphere to Mithos when it had evolved, but now, I guess he want's to use it for himself."

"But Lloyd's strong! He won't let him get it! Right?" Said Genis.

"That depends on what they do to him, doesn't it?" Said Zelos. "I mean, if I were Kvar, I'd threaten to kill him."

Everyone stared at Zelos. "Hey! I was just saying, that's only my opinion. I'm sure Kvar's threat will be much worse!"

"Oh, well, that makes me feel a whole lot better." Kratos said, for the second time that day.

"Wow, Zelos. That's the kind of thing I would've expected Raine to say, not you. I mean, she's the mega violent one that went and blew up all the ranches!"

"Shut it, Brat."

Genis received a slap from his sister.

"Yeah! You go my Ultra Cool Gorgeous Beauty! Ow!" Zelos also received a slap.


	6. Chapter 6

Escaping Death

"So, how're we gonna do this then?" asked Sheena. They were now standing outside the ranch.

"Simple. We just charge straight through the ranch killing everyone in sight until we reach the control room, where Lloyd is most likely being held." Raine's eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

Raine looked around at everyone, but no-one suggested a better plan. So they stuck with it, just wanting to get to Lloyd as fast as possible. They made their way through the ranch, sticking to Raine's plan, and eventually they had reached the room that held the warp pad to get to the control room. But before they could enter, a couple of Desian mages had blocked their path, and soon they were engaged in yet another battle.

"Photon!"

"Eruption!"

"Hurricane Thrust!"

"Pyre Seal!"

They were dead in no time. They hurriedly stepped over the corpses of the mages and teleported into the control room. What they saw horrified them.

Lloyd was chained to the wall, with around twenty feathers protruding from his back, the rest were either lying on the floor, scattered around, or they were floating down to the ground. There was no-one in the room except for themselves and Lloyd. The Desians were gone and Kvar was nowhere in sight.

Regal walked over to the unconscious Lloyd and struck the chains ,that bound him to the wall, with his bare hands. There was a cracking noise. The chains were broken. Lloyd fell, but Regal caught him and placed him gently on the feather covered floor. The others approached slowly- except for Colette and Kratos.

"Lloyd! Please, wake up, Lloyd!" Colette was crying, tears falling freely from her face.

Kratos silently placed a hand on Lloyd's chest and muttered 'first aid'. He was Angry. Very angry.

Lloyd stirred slightly, and his eyes fluttered open.

"Guys…? What- (gasp) He took it! My cruxis crystal!"

The group's eyes widened in surprise.

"Indeed I did." Kvar warped into the room, "and with it, I will enslave all humans, elves and even half elves! I will rule this world and complete yggdrasgil's 'age of lifeless beings!"

"Over my dead body!" Kratos charged at him, ready to pierce him with his sword, but he jumped aside.

"That won't work this time, Kratos!" He slashed at him, but he managed to evade it.

Meanwhile, Raine was preparing to cast ray and Genis to cast meteor storm. Zelos, Regal and Presea were helping Kratos, Colette was preparing a holy song to aid the party and Sheena was in the midst of summoning Undine.

Lloyd sat behind, watching the fight, unable to gather enough strength to help. He finally managed to stand up. Kvar was much stronger than before thanks to the Cruxis Crystal, and he seemed to only have just noticed Lloyd standing there.

"Oh, Lloyd, what happened to your wings? Did my soldiers do that? Oh, well. It won't matter once you're dead, anyway!" He laughed.

At this, Kratos turned to check that Lloyd was alright, but Kvar seized the opportunity and knocked him to the floor. He was pinned to the ground, courtesy of Kvar's sword. But even though he was down, Kratos assumed that the others could finish him, for without his sword, he couldn't fight. Or that's what he thought.

But Lloyd sensed Kvar building up his mana. He was going to throw a power ball of electricity at Kratos.

"Don't…hurt him…" Lloyd walked over and stood before his defenseless father, who was still on the floor. "If you want to kill him…then you'll have to kill me first…!"

"Lloyd, don't!" Kratos warned.

"Ah, yes. I did promise you that I'd kill you in front of you're father….fine. I won't disappoint you. Goodbye! Oh! And say hi to you're mother for me, will you?"

He unleashed the ball of electricity.

"Lloyd!" The group screamed in unison. The electric ball hit him directly in his chest and he fell backwards. Kratos, who had managed to pull the sword out and free himself, just managed to catch him before he hit the ground. He placed him down, and Raine ran to him. He needed healing, fast. Kratos left Lloyd with Raine and rushed at Kvar, hatred clearly visible in his eyes, anger fueling his strength. It happened so fast that no-one actually saw. One moment, Kvar was standing, laughing at Lloyd's pain. The next, he was sprawled on the floor, a deep wound where his heart was, and Kratos was sheathing his sword.

"This…cannot be…Damn you…Kratos…why...must you always…interfere?!" The last of his remaining strength left him, and he died.

"Lloyd!" They turned their attention back to Lloyd. Kratos looked at Raine. Tears were threatening to start pouring out any second. She looked back at Kratos and shook her head sadly.

"My healing arts cannot save him," She whispered to no-one in particular. "He was too weak. I'm sorry."

Kratos knelt down and picked him up. He was barely breathing.

"Guys…I'm sorry…this wasn't supposed to happen…" They were all on the verge of tears. Even Kratos.

"Lloyd, please! Don't go!" Colette cried. She refused to believe this was happening.

He only smiled apologetically at her. "Dad…take the Cruxis Crystal from him and keep it safe," He looked at everyone for what he thought would be the last time. "I'll miss you guys. Live happy lives, all of you. And please take care of dad for me," at this he gave a small laugh, "He can't take care of himself. Please be happy for me." He smiled at Kratos and his eyes closed slowly and his face settled in a content look. No-one could believe what had just happened.

"Not again!" Kratos pulled Lloyd lifeless body into an embrace and wept silent tears for his son. "First Anna, now Lloyd! He's been my only reason to live these past years! He's gone and it's my fault! If he hadn't protected me then he would still be here…"

"WAIT!" Raine wiped her eyes. "It's not over yet! Kvar came back so what's stopping Lloyd?"

Silence.

"Let's go see Yuan," Kratos said, regaining his composure. After all, there was still a glimmer of hope. He picked up Lloyd's limp body. "He'll know a way. I'm sure of it."

Meanwhile-

"Where am I?" Lloyd looked around and found himself in the Asgard Ranch Control room, except everyone was gone. Plus the room was red!

"Oh yeah, that bastard killed me, so I must be in the land of the dead- does this mean that I'll never see dad and the rest again?" He walked over to the warp pad.

"You!" Lloyd turned around at the voice.

"Kvar! Get lost- you've already caused enough trouble for me. Just leave me alone." With that, he warped out of the ranch.

Odd that Kvar just let him go, isn't it?


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took so long for me to update- I had tons of homework AND I lost the rough copy of this chappie! Sorry:)**

Escaping Death

Lloyd was now wandering around the land of the dead. It seemed that it was a replica of Symphonia, except that everything here was, well…dead.

The grass was brown, the leaves and plants were brown- basically everything was. He had been walking for ages now, and he had already passed over Hakonesia peak. He kept going on his way to Palmacosta. From there, he wanted to get a ship over to Izoold, then over the Ossa Trail, go past, maybe through Triet, and finally Iselia. What Kvar had said earlier had just struck him. He said something about his mother, so maybe, just maybe, she was here too. He figured the best place to start looking was Iselia, because that was where his mother died.

He kept walking, enjoying all the beautiful, brown scenery. Not.

Meanwhile, the very depressed group was headed for the Renegade base in Triet. They too were headed to Palmacosta to get a ship. At the moment, they were halfway there.

"(Sigh). I can't believe what happened." Sheena finally broke the miserable silence.

"If it is okay with you, I would rather not talk about it." Kratos was staring at the limp form in his arms. Tears were welling up in his eyes once more.

"Just don't give up hope." Regal said.

"Yes. And Kratos, don't forget, we'll always be here for you. Lloyd would want that." Colette said. Tears were threatening to start falling from her eyes too.

"…I know. Thank you."

They continued on in silence for the rest of the way, the most miserable now than any of them, except Kratos, had ever been in their entire lives.

Eventually, Lloyd had arrived at Triet. It didn't take him as long as it normally would've because he wasn't bothered by the heat. There was no heat here, even in the desert. Maybe because the dead don't need heat. He looked around and saw no-one he recognized, but he did notice that the sand was grey. Of course, it would be here. This entire land was stripped of all its vibrant colours, and just left with dull browns and greys. Dismal colours, to reflect Lloyd's attitude.

He entered the inn and asked for a room. There was one good thing about this place, at least- you didn't have to pay for anything. Just as well, because he didn't have any money anyway. He went into his room. This was the same room that he had stayed in with Kratos when they had first set off on their journey, or rather, after Kratos, Raine, Genis and Colette had saved him from the renegades.

He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, desperately trying to get to sleep, but to no avail. All he could think about was his friends, and his dad. He wondered what they were doing now, and how they were coping with his sudden death. Had they buried his body yet?

He tried to relax and calm down. Think about his mother whom he would very soon see for the first time since he was a small, three year old child. It didn't work. Lloyd cried himself to sleep that night.

The next morning, Lloyd awoke with tear stains on his face. He got out of his not so comfortable bed and walked out of the inn. Once again, the sky was a deep shade of grey, and the sand was a pale brown, along with everything else. The only thing that wasn't grey or brown were the people's clothes. They were bright colours, not at all suiting their surroundings.

He walked over to the well and washed his face with the little water that it contained, then headed over to the guy that was selling (well, actually giving away) apple gels and such. He picked up as much as he could carry, thanked the man and then hurried out of Triet.

Back with Kratos and the rest…

Everyone had just woken up and they were now heading out of Izoold and were on their way to the Ossa Trail.

They had reached Palmacosta yesterday and had taken a ship across to Izoold. They had made it there by nightfall.

They were all still depressed, of course, and when they walked, there was still a gloomy silence lingering around them. They were all absorbed in their thoughts, none of them really paying attention to what was going on around them.

"Okay." Raine's voice wavered slightly, "I know that we're all upset by this, but we can't act like this forever. There is still a chance, and I think that it's entirely possible that we can bring Lloyd back. So let's just stop being so pessimistic."

"Yeah!" All heads turned to Colette. "We all know that Lloyd wouldn't want us to be sad! If he saw us like this, don't you think he would be upset?"

"…I agree. Let us be happy- for Lloyd's sake." Presea said.

They nodded and Sheena stared up at the sky.

"We'd better hurry guys- It's starting to rain!" She exclaimed, covering her head with her arms.

"As soon as we reach the Triet Desert, it'll stop. So let's hurry." Kratos spoke for the first time that day.

It took them a while, but they finally made it through the Ossa Trail and entered the desert, by which time they were soaked to the bone.

"Ohh, I'm tired! Can't we just stop in Triet for a minute and rest?" the Complained Zelos.

"No. It would be best if we continued to the Renegade Base."

"Yes. It's not far off now. I can see it in the distance." Raine agreed with Regal.

So they kept going, Zelos feeling like he was about to faint, but they got there eventually.

Two guards were standing outside the base, keeping watch.

"What business do you have here?" Demanded one of the guards.

"We are here to speak with Yuan. Please inform him that Kratos is here."

The guard nodded and went to find Yuan.

"That was a bit too easy, don't you think?" Genis questioned.

"Nah, they know us, so they should let us in as soon as they recognize us. After all- we did save the world!" Boasted Zelos.

The guard returned in a few minutes and showed them into Yuan's office.


	8. Chapter 8

Escaping Death

"Hasn't anyone ever told you to knock?" Yuan's cold voice resonated around the empty room. He looked up. "Kratos! What are you-" He looked at Lloyd, eyes widening. "What happened to him?!"

"Kvar." Kratos spoke in his un-emotional voice, trying to hide his feelings.

"Uhh…"

"Kvar returned from the dead and…he killed him." Regal finished for Kratos, solemnly.

"…You are joking." Said Yuan unbelievingly

"…"

"You're not joking, are you?" Yuan said, face paling.

He swiftly walked over to Kratos and took the limp body from his arms, with somewhat of a struggle to begin with. It would seem that Kratos had no intention of letting Lloyd go.

"Don't worry, I just want to look at him." He said to a group of distressed faces.

He cleared off some papers and such from his desk and placed Lloyd on it gently, then examined him carefully.

"So what do you want me to do about this? Wait- you _did _get rid of Kvar, didn't you?" He said, a hint of worry creeping into his voice.

"Yes, we did. And we just wanted you to tell us if there was a way for us to bring Lloyd back-"

"Yeah, seeing as Kvar came back, why shouldn't Lloyd?" Genis said, finishing Kratos' sentence.

"hmmm…well, you could try asking Martel…"

"…Yes. That is a fine place to start. Thank you Yuan." Raine thanked him gratefully.

They then turned to leave, a little of their hope restored, but…

"Wait!" They turned around and faced Yuan. "I'm not doing anything…of any…matter of great importance…so…I will accompany you, if that is alright with you."

Kratos looked at everyone and in turn, they nodded.

"He helped us, so why not let him come." Said Sheena, shrugging.

"Yeah, I agree with my voluptuous beauty! Let him tag along!" Zelos said, smile returning to his face.

"Stop saying that or I'll hit you!"

"Ow! Don't say that _after _you've hit me!"

This brought smiles, if only tiny, to everyone's faces.

"Fine. It's your decision Yuan. You can come if you want to, but let us hurry. We need to get to Martel as soon as possible." Kratos said, turning back to face Yuan.

He nodded. "Follow me then. We can take the rheiards." He then proceeded to lead them to the room which the rheiards were kept in, and they flew off to see Martel.

Lloyd was standing outside the place that Dirk's house would normally be.

'_Okay. This'll be the best place to start,'_ thought Lloyd.

He wandered over the wooden bridge and stood looking at a small little house and all the dead plants surrounding it.

He walked up to the door and took a deep breath, heart pounding in his chest (or it would be if he were alive), and knocked.

"Coming!" A soft voice called from inside. He heard light footsteps approaching the door and he stepped back, waiting.

"Hello?" The door opened. A relatively young looking woman with flowing brown hair and chocolate colour eyes appeared. She wore an emerald colour dress with matching slip on shoes.

"(Gasp!)" She stared amazed at Lloyd for a minute as her eyes widened before saying, "L...Lloyd?"

"M…mom?" Lloyd felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Lloyd!" She pulled him into a tight embrace as they both started to cry.

"Come on."

She ushered him into the all too familiar house.

"What are you doing here? What happened?" She wiped away the tears from her eyes as she bombarded her son with questions.

Lloyd explained everything that had happened since he had met Kratos. When they journeyed together and fought together, and saved the worlds. Then, he told Anna all that had happened when just he and his father had travelled together training. Then he told her what had happened when they had received the letter from Sheena and Lloyd had got captured by the Desians. Basically, he told her everything that had happened to him up until now.

"Oh, Lloyd! You were supposed to live a long, happy life with your father, not die when you two have only been together for what, two years?"

A single tear ran down Lloyd's face,

"(Sigh). But it wasn't your fault, sweetie." She hugged him. "Damn that bastard, Kvar!"

Lloyd nodded, then, "Look what he did to my wings!" He willed his wings to appear and they did. Well, at least, what was left of them.

"(Gasp!)…" Anna was speechless.

"…I'm so sorry Lloyd!" He put his wings away as she talked and hugged him. "I promise, that from this moment on, I will always be there to protect you, like I couldn't all those years ago." The two sat, lost in the few distant memories that they had of their time together as a complete family, and wondered if it would ever happen again.

The group got off the rheiards and approached Martel, who was standing under a flourishing tree.

"Martel." Kratos spoke first. "Is there any way for us to bring back my son from death? It has been done before, so we naturally assumed that…" He trailed off, uncharacteristically.

"Not unless he himself speaks to me in the land of the dead and gives me a good reason to return."

"But he won't know that." Yuan spoke now. "Isn't there any means of contacting him?"

"…" Martel did not speak for a while, pondering ways of contacting Lloyd whilst he was in another land. Her eyes were closed, consumed in her own thoughts. The group glanced around at each other, each giving and each receiving nervous looks.

Finally, she spoke.

"…I can give one of you the ability to contact him through your thoughts. He will be able to hear you and you him. Who will receive this power?" She looked around.

"I think that Kratos should." Stated Presea. They nodded in approval, and Kratos gently handed Lloyd's body to Yuan to hold, giving him a look that seemed to say, '_drop him and you're dead.'_ Yuan made a face at this, but held him all the same.

Kratos turned, stepped up to Martel and nodded, silently letting her know that he was ready for this new power. She slowly raised her hand to his forehead, closing her eyes in concentration. Kratos flinched at the touch.

Martel's hand gradually grew warmer, and began to emit a glowing red light, like dying embers of a fire.

Kratos was blinded for a moment by the red light, then, he felt as if his mind was devoid of everything he had ever known.

After a while, Martel lowered her hand, and the glowing light faded.

"Now you will be able to talk with him using your mind."

The anxious father closed his eyes and mind to the outside world.

'_Lloyd.' _His own voice spoke softly inside his head. He waited a minute, but no reply came.

'_Lloyd!' _His voice now screamed inside his head, praying that this time, there would be a reply.

* * *

**Hope this was ok! Review please!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! I was gonna update yesterday but it was my birthday so I was a bit busy! But thanks for everyone who's reviewed so far!  
**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

Escaping Death

Lloyd and his mom were in the middle of a conversation about 'how Kratos could see with his hair always over his eye', when a sharp pain in Lloyd's head occurred.

"Whoa!" His hand shot to his head. "That was weird."

"What happened?" Anna had a troubled look on her face as she stared at him.

"My head-" his eyes went wide and he gasped.

"Dad?"

"What?" Anna said, confused, turning to look at the wall behind her, where Lloyd was looking.

"No, mom. I can hear his voice in my head. I think he's trying to speak to me!"

Kratos was still desperately trying to get his son to hear him. He thought that he had heard Lloyd calling him, but wasn't entirely sure.

"Lloyd! Can you hear me?"

This time, he was sure he heard a reply.

"Dad, is that you?"

"Yes! Oh, thank the Goddess! Are you alright? I'm so sorry, if it weren't for me then-"

"Dad! Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. A…and how the hell are you speaking to me?!"

"…That doesn't matter now. We have found a way for you to return to the living world. All you need to do is to find Martel."

"Martel?"

"Yes. I need to go now. Your voice is getting faint. Make your way to the Great Tree and talk to Martel. And…Lloyd?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"…I miss you. Come back to me as soon as possible."

Kratos opened his eyes to find everyone, including Martel, staring at him curiously.

"Well?" asked Raine.

" I've told him. There is nothing more we can do now. We just have to wait," he said, "and hope for the best." He muttered to himself.

"Lloyd, what happened?" Anna was worried. Her son had been talking to himself about things she did not understand. But that was only natural, since she had only heard half of the conversation.

"Dad told me that I could go back to the living world if I found Martel!"

"Oh." Anna's eyes showed disappointment and sadness. She silently scolded herself. She should be happy for Lloyd to go back to Kratos. Then they would both be happy.

"But don't worry. You can come to! I'll make sure of it." With that said, he ran off upstairs to collect his belongings, but quickly came marching back down, a blank expression on his face.

"I just remembered- I don't _have _anything to bring." He finished, a sheepish grin creeping onto his face.

His mother giggled, and walked over o a small wooden cupboard.

"Are we going to need apple gels and stuff? I mean, if we're already dead, then we can't be killed again… can we?"

"No, but it is best that we bring them anyway."

"Then what would happen? If we didn't die again, I mean."

There was a short silence before, "I'm not too sure. It's never happened to me, so…" She trailed off and turned back to the cupboard, searching for her bag with the apple gels and stuff in it.

She grinned to herself. Anna was excited now. She got to be with her son for the first time in years, and she may finally be able to live with her husband and son again as a family. That would be nice.

She rummaged around in the cupboard until she found her bag.

"I'll carry that." Lloyd reached for the bag but it was snatched away from him at the last second.

"No you won't. I'll carry this and you can do all the fighting!"

"No problem. I'm probably stronger than you anyway, so it's probably best if you just let me handle those tough old monsters!" He grinned at his mother.

She just laughed.

The desert was stripped of everything bar dead trees and plants, and the only other creatures there were scorpions and snakes. Sand was flying about their heads, getting in their eyes and clothes as they continued on.

The pair had been walking around for ages, but they would hopefully reach Triet soon. In the meantime, they were just talking about random things. Anything that came to mind, really. They were just happy to have each others company. It had been so long since they were together, so they were making the most of the time they had with each other now.

They were both hoping that Martel would allow them to go back, because the dream of them living together as a family dawned on the horizon.

Lloyd reached down the front of his shirt and pulled out the locket that Kratos had given him during their journey, when they had stayed at Flanoir.

When he'd received it, he had put it on straight away to always remind him of his family. He opened it and looked at the picture. It was of him, Anna and Kratos. His family. Lloyd was only a small child back then. He was sitting atop Kratos' shoulders, yanking at his hair and Kratos wearing an 'at least someone's having fun' expression. Anna stood beside him holding his arm, smiling at the two of them.

The present day Anna leaned her head closer to Lloyd's to see what had intrigued him. Her eyes widened in shock as Lloyd turned to her.

"Dad gave it to me a year or so ago. But it's yours, so I think you should have it back." He began to reach around the back of his neck to take it off when he felt another hand upon his.

"No. I want you to keep it- it's too precious for me to keep. I'd probably end up losing it anyway." She smiled at him.

"Well then, maybe it would be safer in dad's hands, because I'd lose it too if I took it off!"

They stared at each other for a minute then started laughing like a pair of little children. Anna was just as childish as Lloyd.

She looked ahead of her then turned around and sighed.

"What?" Lloyd asked.

He too turned around and started laughing again. They had been so engrossed in their conversations that they had just walked straight past Triet!

They raced to get there. Mainly because Lloyd was thirsty, or at least, he thought he was. The dead couldn't feel thirst but they could still drink if they wanted to. They also just wanted to get out of the sand. It was like millions of granules of brown sugar that was only there to annoy you and get in your clothes and hair.

They entered the small town and walked made their way over to the oasis to get a drink. Seeing as they were near the fortune teller's tent, they decided to pay a visit and see if anyone was there.

They passed a man giving out fruits and vegetables and stepped into the little tent.

"Hey!" Lloyd shouted. "I thought you were alive! What happened? How'd you-" He was stopped by Anna who elbowed him in the ribs.

"Lloyd! Don't be so rude! Apologise now!"

"Sorry." He mumbled, holding his side.

The fortune teller spoke.

"That is quite alright. It is quite difficult to tell me and my sister apart. Now, would you like your fortunes told?"

"How much?"

"It won't cost you. So?"

"Sure! Why not."

The woman rubbed her hands over the top of her crystal ball and closed her eyes. She re-opened them shortly after and gazed at the mist swirling around inside the crystal ball. She looked up.

"Your futures look bright. But there is an obstacle in your path to happiness. A man is looking for you. His intention is clear. He wants to prevent you from getting where you are headed. He is called by the name of Kvar."

"Where is he?" Mother and son shouted at the same time.

"…He is on a cliff in a dense forest. He is headed towards the village of Iselia."

"We should get going," Anna said quickly, a scared look appearing on her face, "He's not that far behind us- Let's go!" Lloyd nodded and turned to face the woman.

"Thank you for warning us." Then they turned and ran out of the tent and out of Triet.

"Where do we go from here?"

"…We'll go to Izoold. If we can make it over the Ossa Trail and reach there before all the boats have gone, then we'll get someone to take us over to Palmacosta. Kvar won't be able to catch up to us then. We'll decide where we go from there." Instructed Lloyd. "So for now, we'll go to Izoold.


	10. Chapter 10

Escaping Death

It had taken them around two hours to reach the Ossa Trail. They kept heading in the wrong direction, but they eventually made it over the Trail, fighting flowery monsters and bears all the while. But only afterthey had stopped at a House of Salvation to ask directions, every now and then glancing behind them to check that nobody was following them.

It was the late afternoon now. And if they didn't hurry, they would miss their ship, and would have to wait until the next day, by which time Kvar would have caught up with them. They ran through the little village of Izoold, passing the cosy houses and the beach, where the sun's reflection on the sea turned it a beautiful shade of blue, as the gentle breeze blew through their hair making them shiver slightly as they neared the sea.

Lloyd stopped when he realized that Anna wasn't with him.

"Mom?" He glanced over his shoulder. A panicked expression had crept onto his face.

He caught sight of Anna playing with dog that had caught her attention.

"Mom! C'mon!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the port, the dog trailing after them. They were exhausted by now and would be glad to rest on the boat.

"Can you…do you think…that you could…maybe just take us…to Palmacosta…please?" Anna panted.

"Yer just in time. Another five minutes and you'd 'av been to late."

He signalled for them to get on and they relaxed a bit. They went into a miniature wooden cabin and lay on the beds, ready to get some sleep.

The boat set off, and they left the poor little dog howling on the port, because it had nobody to play with.

It was early morning when Anna awoke. She glanced over at her son. His brown hair was all over the place. She wondered if it was styled this way every morning before he got up.

Thinking him still asleep, she tiptoed silently out of the room.

She walked over to the side of the boat and gazed up at the sky.

Unlike yesterday, it was the colour of an orange with pink streaks running through it, mixing the two colours together to make a glorious colour, painting the sea that way too. Or almost that colour, anyway. Point was, It was beautiful-probably the only thing down here that was. 'The sky must be the same because it can't die or be destroyed like other things, so it must be the only thing that is the same as what it represents from the land above.' Anna thought.

She sighed and looked down at the sea, reflecting the rising sun.

"(Yawn…)" She heard someone come up behind her noisily.

"Mornin' mom." He muttered, stifling another yawn.

Anna looked at him and smiled, then they both looked out over the sea again, both taking in the amazing sight.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Anna spoke, her long brown hair billowing out behind her.

Lloyd nodded. They stayed there together for a while longer until Lloyd retreated inside to get something to eat, just for the sake of it, and, according to Lloyd, it might help him forget about the sick feeling in his stomach.

Soon after, Anna followed suit, and went into the little cabin too.

They sat on their beds talking, when they heard a knock at the door to their room.

It opened and the captain's head popped around the door.

"We've arrived now, ye can get goin." He disappeared again and mother and son followed.

"Thanks." They said in unison as they stepped off the boat. They looked around. There were little stalls everywhere, handing out unnecessary items, and dogs wandering about between them.

"Hmm…" Lloyd stared at a white dog with brown patches on him. "I swear I've seen that dog before…oh! It might be that one Colette named Patch when we were on our journey! Maybe it's owner killed it…"

"Lloyd! That's not very nice! Aww," Anna turned to face Patch, "who's a cute wittle doggy? You is, isn't you Patchy Watchy!"

"Patchy Watchy…? (Sigh)." Lloyd put his hand to his head. "What is it with her and dogs?"

Anyway, after Lloyd had forced Anna away from the dog and pulled her into the heart of the city, they looked around for a bit, then headed into the field, remembering why they were in a hurry in the first place. To get away from Kvar and make it to the Great Tree. And after they had come all this way, they didn't want to get caught now...

* * *

**Yes! I actually updated again! Sorry it's really really shorter than the rest but I didn't have time put anymore up. Anyway, thanks again guys for reviews, and keep reviewing **_**please **_**because it makes me happy!**


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